Since 1927, The Buffalo News, in cooperation with area schools, has sponsored the spelling bee for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Livingston, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties and once again everything is available online.  But the first thing you need to do is register with Scripps National Bee at www.spellingbee.com.

Scripps National is requiring a materials and enrollment fee from all schools who want to participate. For details, go to www.spellingbee.com.

Once you have registered with Scripps National, the next thing you need to do [by January 15, 2010] is send in your champion speller names. The champion speller form can be filled out on your computer and then just emailed back to spellingbee@buffnews.com. The News will no longer be sending out Spell It!. It is now available free from Merriam-Webster at www.myspellit.com.

On February 3, school champions will take a standardized written test to determine the lineup for the 2010 oral finals of the 83rd annual Buffalo News Spelling Bee. The top scorer from each county with a registered speller along with the students who receive the next highest scores up to 20 spellers compete in the oral finals on March 7th, 1:30 pm, in the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Auditorium. The winner of that bee will travel to Washington D.C. on an all expense paid trip for the National Finals in May.

The local title also carries a $100.00 cash award, $50.00 in additional spending money for the trip and an engraved pen and pencil set.

The second place winner will win $75, third wins $50, fourth place prize is $35 and fifth is $25. All each also receive an engraved pen and pencil set.

A special $25 cash award is always awarded to the contestant scoring the highest grade on the written test. The winner will be announced at the bee on March 7th.

Other prizes to be given out at the competition include:

Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda section, The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a $100 Series EE U.S. Savings Bond, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition and gifts from the Scripps National Spelling Bee and The Buffalo News.

All champions from schools registered in the 2010 Buffalo News Spelling Bee will receive a dictionary, thesaurus or other reference book from The News, with a certificate of merit for each school runner-up.

The pronouncer at the March 7 bee will be Cynthia Pearson, retired English teacher at South Park High School. Judges are Dr. Kathleen Kreis, retired director of English and Library Services for the Buffalo Public Schools, Mrs. Ann Laudisio, Principal of Maplemere Elementary School; and Deborah Patti, Promotions coordinator for The News. Dr. Kreis and Ms. Pearson also prepare both the written and oral tests.